When you’re running a half-marathon, it is wonderful to have people you know suddenly appear and cheer. Today I came upon Robert twice and Stéphane once.

Home Stretch (NYRR photo)

Stéphane ran next to me on lap 2 of CP just past the 6 mile mark, camera in hand — he took photos (including the one below (the one to the left is from NYRR); he commented on my heel striking) and there’s a video on Facebook — telling me I looked like the running was too easy. Robert caught me on the West Side a bit past the 3 mile mark and then again on West Street as I headed to the finish. A “Warren Street” now and then, and my sister Pat and her husband Stuart were outside their apartment on 42nd Street.

I really appreciate it.

Ah, the race itself. The numbers: 1:21:34, 199 o/a, 2d AG, 84.25 age-graded. I’m pleased with the time, although work needs to be done, and very pleased to have gotten an age-group award.

As to the race report itself, I recorded something about 40 minutes after the finish. I begin by saying “little bit farther north” because I did a shorter thing alread, but here it is:

Splits: 6:12, 6:10, 6:11, 6:18, 6:13, 6:15 (stopped the watch too early), 6:31 (stopped too early for mile 6), 6:17, 6:09, 12:24 (missed 10 mile mark), 6:08, 6:03, 37.

[Edited to add: I'm watching the replay on Universal. Paul Thompson is getting decent face-time near Deena. But I just wish they wouldn't say a male running near the lead woman is do it for "face-time." Paul, e.g., caught Kastor at 8 and next we saw  him he was well in front. As someone who has run near the lead woman in a televised race, I can say that I never cared about the TV. Anyone running at that pace is going to be running his (I use the masculine because in this context I'm speaking of men) own race. Perhaps they'll run near the lead woman to use her as a good pacer. But I don't know about this "face-time" observation that Larry Rawson seems to make at every race.

[Also, notwithstanding what is said on the broadcast, you really can't see the finish line until you're pretty close. There are 800, 400, and 200 to go signs, but I only picked up the finish when I was nearly there.]

A couple of prerace videos, to give a sense of things.